RUGBY: Bann keen to keep up the promotion push

Although the odds are stacked against them now, Banbridge RFC are determined to keep their winning run going to the end of the season and do everything in their power to secure a top two finish in the All Ireland League Division 2A. Pic: Jonny Porter in action. INBL1504-2PB

Gareth Hanna

Published:13:00Friday 06 March 2015

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Banbridge are desperate to do all they can to secure a promotion spot.

But even that might not be enough as they rely on both Blackrock and Skerries slipping up in the final three games of the Division 2A campaign.

Daniel Soper’s side have stretched their run to five wins on the trot and the Head Coach says his boys want to avoid any mistakes that could yet prove costly as they host basement side Bective Rangers on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm).

“We’ve done well to get to where we are but now we want to do all we can to make sure we finish it off,” he said.

“We’ll go out and try to make sure we get the win first and foremost on Saturday but if we can go on and pick up the bonus point, we’ll do all we can to get that.

“When we play well, we score tries so if we can put in a good performance on Saturday hopefully the scores and a bonus point will follow.”

Banbridge are six points off Skerries in third and a further point behind Blackrock in that all-important second spot with three games remaining.

“They got bonus points at the weekend and we didn’t so now we really need them to slip up and then miss out on bonus points while we get ours,” said Soper.

“A lot has to go for us, for us to get that second place finish but even if we could climb up to third, it would be a tremendous finish considering where we were sitting at Christmas.

“It’s now five wins in a row so if we could keep that going with another victory on Saturday to send us into the two week break it would be a job well done.”

Bann kept up their winning run with the most dramatic of 14-16 wins over Rainey on Saturday.

Soper said: “Conditions were absolutely atrocious, which was a real leveller for the two teams. We were happy just to get in and get the result, whatever way it came.

“If they had put away their penalty with two minutes to go, it was game over but they didn’t and we got the break.